String Quartet No. 1 (Dvořák)

Antonín Dvořák finished the composition of his String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 2, (B. 8), one of his earliest chamber works, in March, 1862.

Background

Dvořák's fourteen string quartets cover the bulk of his composing career, from 1862 (No. 1) to 1895 (No. 14). The first string quartet was not his first chamber composition: he had written the String Quintet in A minor (Op. 1) in Summer 1861.

In 1887 Dvořák decided to rework the long forgotten quartet. He removed a good deal of what he considered the unnecessary "filler" in the original version.^[1]

The composition was dedicated to the director of Prague Conservatory, Josef Krejčí, who was Dvořák's teacher of music theory at the Prague Organ School.^[1] No actual performance has been documented before 1888, when the revised version of the work was played at a concert of the Umělecká beseda (Arts Discussion Group) in the Rudolfinum in Prague. The players were members of the orchestra of the National Theatre, Karel Ondříček, Jan Pelikán, Petr Mareš and Alois Neruda.^[2] ^[3]

Structure

The work is composed in four movements:

Andante-allegro
Andante affettuoso et appassionato
Allegro scherzando
Allegro animato

The approximate duration is 33 minutes.

The strongest pointer to Dvořák's future mastership is in the three-part trio section of the 3rd movement, which is the forerunner of the many future furiants.^[1]

Notes

1 2 3 Sleeve note of the Supraphon CD, p. 2
↑ Sleeve note of the Supraphon CD, p. 3
↑ (Šourek, p. 57)

References

Anderson, Keith (2004). Dvořák, A: String Quartets Vol. 7 (CD). Naxos Records. 8.557357.
Melville-Mason, Graham (2005). Panocha Quartet: Chamber Works Vol. 1. (CD). Antonín Dvořák. Czech Republic: Supraphon. SU 3815-2 138.
Šourek, Otakar; (Trans.)Samsour, Roberta Finlayson. The Chamber Music of Antonín Dvořák (PDF). Czechoslovakia: Artia.

External links

String Quartet No. 1 on a comprehensive Dvorak site

String quartets	No. 1 in A major No. 2 in B♭ major No. 3 in D major No. 4 in E minor No. 5 in F minor No. 6 in A minor, Op. 12, B. 40 Andante appassionato in F major B.40a No. 7 in A minor, Op. 16, B. 45 No. 8 in E major No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34, B. 75 No. 10 in E♭ major (Slavonic) String Quartet movement in F major B. 120 No. 11 in C major No. 12 in F major (American) No. 13 in G major No. 14 in A♭ major Cypresses B. 152

Other	Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor (Dumky) Romantic Pieces Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments Silent Woods Sonatina in G major String Quintet No. 2 in G major String Quintet No. 3 in E♭ major (American) String Sextet in A major Terzetto in C

Piano music

Named for Dvořák

Portal:Classical music

String quartets by Antonín Dvořák

No. 1 in A major, Op. 2, B. 8 No. 2 in B flat major, B. 17 No. 3 in D major, B. 18 No. 4 in E minor, B. 19 No. 5 in F minor, Op. 9, B.37 No. 6 in A minor, Op. 12, B. 40 Andante appassionato in F major B.40a No. 7 in A minor, Op. 16, B. 45 No. 8 in E major, Op. 80, B. 57 No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34, B. 75 No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51, B. 92 (Slavonic) Quartet movement in F major, B. 120 No. 11 in C major, Op. 61, B. 121 12 Cypresses, B. 152 No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 (American) No. 13 in G major, Op. 106, B.192 No. 14 in A flat major, Op. 105, B. 193

List of compositions by Antonín Dvořák

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